The Mississippi State Bulldogs take on the UMass Minutemen on Saturday, September 24, 2016 at Gillette Stadium. The opening line for this game has Mississippi State as 25 point favorites. This season the Bulldogs are 2-1-0 against the spread and their over/under record is 0-3-0. The Minutemen have an over/under record of 0-3-0 and they are 2-1-0 against the spread.

Nick Fitzgerald finished with 120 yards through the air for Mississippi State last week. He completed 12 passes out of 24 attempts for a 50% completion percentage. The Bulldogs were led in rushing by Ashton Shumpert, who finished with 34 yards on 6 rushes. He ended the contest with an average of 6 yards per carry. Fred Ross was the team leader in receiving with a total of 89 yards and 6 receptions. He finished the game with an average of 15 yards per reception. As a team in that game Mississippi State got a total of 14 first downs. Of those first downs, 4 came on the ground while 9 came through the air. They ran 64 total plays for 270 yards for the game. The Bulldogs ran for 56 yards on 32 attempts.

Andrew Ford finished with 278 yards through the air for UMass last week. He completed 28 passes out of 42 attempts for a 67% completion percentage. The Minutemen were led in rushing by Marquis Young, who finished with 85 yards on 24 rushes. He ended the contest with an average of 4 yards per carry. Andy Isabella was the team leader in receiving with a total of 83 yards and 6 receptions. He finished the game with an average of 14 yards per reception. UMass got a total of 21 first downs in that game. 4 came from running the ball and 16 came from a pass. They ran 78 total plays for 394 yards for the game. The Minutemen ran for 116 yards on 36 attempts.

Mississippi State scores 22.3 points per game on offense this season, which ranks 104th in Division 1. In the passing department, they average 19 passes on 31 attempts for a 61.3 percent completion percentage this season. They throw for a total of 184 yards per game through the air as well, which ranks them 102nd in college football. The Bulldogs run for an average of 195.7 yards per game on 36.7 attempts for an average of 5.3 yards per carry. That ranks them 55th in the nation. They also run 67.7 plays per contest and average 5.6 yards per play for an average of 379.7 yards per game, ranking their offense 90th overall this season. The Bulldogs average 20 first downs per game which ranks them 81st in the country. They accumulate 45.3 penalty yards per game via 5.3 penalties, which ranks 99th in the nation.

Mississippi State allows 236.3 passing yards per game, ranking 76th in D-1, and they allow 19.3 points per contest on defense, which ranks 39th. They give up 21 completions on 35 attempts per game for a completion percentage of 60. The Bulldogs allow 103 rushing yards per game on 32.7 carries for an average of 3.2 yards per carry, which ranks their rush defense 25th in the country. Mississippi State allows 339.3 total yards per game including 5 yards per play, which ranks their overall defense 41st in terms of yards per game. They force 1.1 turnovers per contest and get flagged for 7 penalties for 61 yards per game, ranking them 77th among D-1 teams.

UMass averages 11.7 points per game this season on offense, which ranks them 128th in the country. In the passing department, they complete 16 passes per game on 29 attempts for a 55.2 percent completion percentage. They throw for 188 yards through the air per game, ranking them 100th in Division 1. The Minutemen run for an average of 46.3 yards per game on 34.7 attempts for an average of 1.3 yards per carry this season, which ranks them 128th on the ground. They also run 63.7 plays per game and average 3.7 yards per play for a total of 234.3 yards per game, ranking them 128th in the country on offense. The Minutemen get an average of 13.7 first downs per game, which ranks 126th in the nation. They average 44.7 penalty yards per game via 7 penalties, ranking them 101st in college football.

UMass allows an average of 208.3 passing yards yards per game, which ranks 52nd in Division 1. Their defense overall allows 21 points per contest, which has them ranked 50th in the nation. They give up 20.3 completions on 33.3 attempts for a completion percentage of 61 per game. The Minutemen allow 132.3 rushing yards per contest on 34.7 carries for a 3.8 average per rush, ranking their overall rush defense 53rd in the country. UMass allows 340.7 total yards per game for an average of 5 yards per play, which ranks 42nd in D-1. They force 1.1 turnovers per contest and 7.7 penalties for 73.3 yards in each contest, ranking 105th in the nation.

7U NBA Pick on Sunday (10:30
p.m. EST; Portland/LA
Clippers)! DOC'S SPORTS NBA
has a pick for a game we
have
had circled all week as the
Clippers host the Blazers.
We
are on a 13-4 run for picks
rated 6-Units or higher and
we expect an easy winner
tonight. A one-day package
is
only $30! Free Play #702
Take
Toronto -6.5 over Oklahoma
City (1:05 p.m. EST, Sunday
March 18)
The Raptors will be ultra
motivated here on Sunday as
they go for a franchise-
record 12 straight wins.
They
are playing the best
basketball in the east and
in
our eyes are the clear
favorite to represent that
conference in the NBA
Finals.
They have that good of a
team
this year. They are the
better team, at this point
in
the season, in this matchup
and they are 7-2 ATS in day
games this season. They
normally play very well in
these early matinee games
and
we expect the same today.
The
Thunder are just 3-9 ATS
away
from home against winning
teams and they also have a
tough game coming up Tuesday
at Boston to worry about and
since that is the
more "marquee" matchup they
may be more focused on that
game. But if both teams play
their best, we think Toronto
wins by 7+ in this game.
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